Hi-po programs are all the rage amongst HR professionals looking to get progressive with their HRM practices. It is true, that an effectively run program can significantly increase the development, promotability, and retention of high performers, but some organizations struggle to integrate tools that will measure if/when this has happened.

How then, should these metrics be incorporated? First, decide what outcomes are desirable and will give the program some legs to stand on when presenting your strategic results to the c-suite. Think about measurable increases in:

Performance Evaluation

• Measuring results on Overall/Strategic business goals
• Targeted individual development for hi-po’s (e.g. competencies, etc.)

Talent Management

• Successor pipeline for key positions
• Culture carriers who are more highly engaged over time
• Retention, resulting in less external hires

Next, you should define the actual measures to be monitored including:

• Performance scores
• Competency ratings
• Development milestone achievement stats
• # of potential successors by position
• Hi-po engagement ratings
• Recruiting/Selection cost savings (retention risks averted; internal successors identified)

To assemble and analyze such data would take significant manual efforts, and as such you’re better off automating as much as possible. Succession Planning and Performance Management software should be flexible enough to accommodate the specific hi-po measurement criteria that are critical for your organization’s talent. Additionally, the tools should allow you to easily pull-in measurement data from various other systems for comparison purposes. Finally, HR Software that can automatically calculate the relationships among your hi-po data will add real-time results to your business analytics toolbox.